The [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/images/c/cc/LWGPolish.pdf Polish Letter Writing Guide] is for researchers who do not speak Polish but must write to Poland for genealogical records. It includes a list of sentences you would use in requesting genealogical records and Polish translations of these sentences.

The [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/images/c/cc/LWGPolish.pdf Polish Letter Writing Guide] is for researchers who do not speak Polish but must write to Poland for genealogical records. It includes a list of sentences you would use in requesting genealogical records and Polish translations of these sentences.

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The best sources of genealogical information in Poland are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by churches and civil registraiton offices. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of these records for many, but not all, localities. use the Family History Library Catalog to determine what records are available through the library and the Family History Centers. If records are available from the library, it is usually faster and more productive to search these records first. if the records you want are not available through the library, you can use this guide to help you write to Poland for information.

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The best sources of genealogical information in Poland are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by churches and civil registration offices. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of these records for many, but not all, localities. use the Family History Library Catalog to determine what records are available through the library and the Family History Centers. If records are available from the library, it is usually faster and more productive to search these records first. if the records you want are not available through the library, you can use this guide to help you write to Poland for information.

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=== Before You Write ===

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==Before You Write==

Before You write to Poland for family history information, you should do three things:

Before You write to Poland for family history information, you should do three things:

Line 13:

Line 13:

*'''Determine where records from your ancestor's home parish are stored today.''' When you have a locality name, use a gazetteer to determine which parish or civil jurisdiction served your ancestor's locality.

*'''Determine where records from your ancestor's home parish are stored today.''' When you have a locality name, use a gazetteer to determine which parish or civil jurisdiction served your ancestor's locality.

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=== Research by Mail ===

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==Research by Mail==

Church records are obtained from parishes, and civil records are obtained from civil registration offices. Both kinds of records may be stored in archives. In 1874 civil registration became mandatory in Poland, yet it started at different times throughout the country. If the dates you need precede 1874, you will need to write for church records.

Church records are obtained from parishes, and civil records are obtained from civil registration offices. Both kinds of records may be stored in archives. In 1874 civil registration became mandatory in Poland, yet it started at different times throughout the country. If the dates you need precede 1874, you will need to write for church records.

[http://www.genpol.com/Katalog-main.html Catholic Parish Address Database] For help in locating Catholic parish addresses in Poland, please go to the link and in the box shown, type in the name of the town where the parish was located.

For help in locating Catholic parish addresses in Poland, please go to the following link: [http://www.genpol.com/Katalog-main.html http://www.genpol.com/Katalog-main.html] .&nbsp; In the box shown, type in the name of the town where the parish was located.

Towns in Poland are listed alphabetically. The post office is given in the fifth column, under the heading "Poczta."

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Towns in Poland are listed alphabetically. The post office is given in the fifth column, under the heading "Poczta."&nbsp; However, many of the post offices localities have been changed since this book was published.

=== How To Send Payments ===

=== How To Send Payments ===

Line 73:

Line 69:

'''Writing to Government Organizations.''' When writing to the Directorate of State Archives, do not send money in your first letter. The staff will bill you for their services. You may be asked to make the check payable to the archive's account number. If you wish, you may write first to determine its fees before making a request. However, This will significantly increase the time it takes to get information.

'''Writing to Government Organizations.''' When writing to the Directorate of State Archives, do not send money in your first letter. The staff will bill you for their services. You may be asked to make the check payable to the archive's account number. If you wish, you may write first to determine its fees before making a request. However, This will significantly increase the time it takes to get information.

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=== What To Expect ===

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==What To Expect==

It may take six months or longer for you to receive a reply to your request for information. Airmail improves the response time. The results of writing to parishes or civil registration offices can vary greatly. You may get a great deal of information, or you may get no answer at all. Some clergy and civil registrars are willing and able to provide considerable information, while others are not.

It may take six months or longer for you to receive a reply to your request for information. Airmail improves the response time. The results of writing to parishes or civil registration offices can vary greatly. You may get a great deal of information, or you may get no answer at all. Some clergy and civil registrars are willing and able to provide considerable information, while others are not.

Line 83:

Line 79:

If you do not receive an answer, write again, sending a copy of your first letter. Do not send more money unless you verify that your first letter did not arrive.

If you do not receive an answer, write again, sending a copy of your first letter. Do not send more money unless you verify that your first letter did not arrive.

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== How To Write a Letter in Polish ==

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==How To Write a Letter in Polish ==

Your letter should include:

Your letter should include:

Line 106:

Line 102:

=== Writing Dates ===

=== Writing Dates ===

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Write dates in the European style: day-month-year. Write the full name of the month or use a Roman numeral. Write the year in full (1845, not '45). For example, April 7, 1890 should be written as&nbsp;7 kwietnia 1890.

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Write dates in the European style: day-month-year. Write the full name of the month. Write the year in full (1845, not '45). For example, April 7, 1890 should be written as&nbsp;7 kwietnia 1890.

The following names of the months are shown in their possessive form, which is used in writing dates:

The following names of the months are shown in their possessive form, which is used in writing dates:

Line 148:

Line 144:

| grudnia

| grudnia

|}

|}

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<center>'''Greetings'''</center>

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===Greetings===

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Depending on whom your letter is addressed to, you will choose one of the following greetings. This will also affect some of your later sentences. The following sentences were written in the format of the first greeting. When addressing a priest or pastor, use the appropriate word indicated in parentheses.

Depending on whom your letter is addressed to, you will choose one of the following greetings. This will also affect some of your later sentences. The following sentences were written in the format of the first greeting. When addressing a priest or pastor, use the appropriate word indicated in parentheses.

Give as much pertinent information as possible. Use only those items below for which you can give accurate information that is relevant to your request. Do not give information about events that occurred after the ancestor left Poland.

Give as much pertinent information as possible. Use only those items below for which you can give accurate information that is relevant to your request. Do not give information about events that occurred after the ancestor left Poland.

Other [http://www.pgsa.org/EducationalCenter/letterwriting.php letter writing forms] that may meet your needs are available from the [http://www.pgsa.org/index.php Polish Genealogical Society of America] website. For the French translation of the Polish Letter Writing Guide click [[Poland Letter Writing Guide in French|here]].

Introduction

The Polish Letter Writing Guide is for researchers who do not speak Polish but must write to Poland for genealogical records. It includes a list of sentences you would use in requesting genealogical records and Polish translations of these sentences.

The best sources of genealogical information in Poland are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by churches and civil registration offices. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of these records for many, but not all, localities. use the Family History Library Catalog to determine what records are available through the library and the Family History Centers. If records are available from the library, it is usually faster and more productive to search these records first. if the records you want are not available through the library, you can use this guide to help you write to Poland for information.

Before You Write

Before You write to Poland for family history information, you should do three things:

Determine exactly where your ancestor was born, was married, lived, or died. Because most genealogical sources were recorded locally, you will need to know the specific locality where your ancestor was born, was married, lived, or died. See the library's publication Tracing Immigrant Origins for help in finding hometowns.

Determine your ancestor's religion. Because most early records were kept by churches or synagogues rather than civil registraiton offices, you may need to write to the church your ancestor attended in his or her hometown. If you are not sure what your ancestor's religion was in Europe, determine what religion he or she practiced after immigrating. People usually did not change religions when they moved frm Europe to their new home.

Determine where records from your ancestor's home parish are stored today. When you have a locality name, use a gazetteer to determine which parish or civil jurisdiction served your ancestor's locality.

Research by Mail

Church records are obtained from parishes, and civil records are obtained from civil registration offices. Both kinds of records may be stored in archives. In 1874 civil registration became mandatory in Poland, yet it started at different times throughout the country. If the dates you need precede 1874, you will need to write for church records.

If you address your letter to a parish or local civil registration office, you must write the letter in Polish. Letters written in Polish have a greater chance of receiving a reply than those written in English. You may write in English to the Directorate of the State Archives.

How To Address the Envelope

For a Roman Catholic Parish

Parafia Rzymsko-Katolicka(postal code) (name of locality)POLAND

Catholic Parish Address Database For help in locating Catholic parish addresses in Poland, please go to the link and in the box shown, type in the name of the town where the parish was located.

For a Protestant Parish

Parafia Ewangelicka(postal code) (name of locality)POLAND

Very few Protestant parishes still exist in modern-day Poland. Some records formerly found in such parishes may be housed in local Catholic parishes. For a list of the Protestant parishes in Poland and their addresses, see:

Kalendarz ewangelicki (Yearbook of the Augsburg Evangelical [Lutheran] church of Poland). (FHL book 943.8 K24ke; film 1183508 item 4.)

You may also want to visit the following website www.luteranie.pl for a listing of Lutheran parishes which are in existence today. This website also gives diocese addresses.

For an Orthodox Parish Parafia Prawoslawna(postal code) (name of locality)POLAND

Towns in Poland are listed alphabetically. The post office is given in the fifth column, under the heading "Poczta." However, many of the post offices localities have been changed since this book was published.

How To Send Payments

Writing to a Parish. when writing to a parish, it is a good idea to send a donation of $5.00 to $10.00 as a courtesy. Do not send a personal check, which is difficult and expensive to exchange in Europe. Cash is better since it is most easily converted to European currency, but be aware of the risks in sending it.

Writing to a Civil Registration Office. When writing to the local civil registration office, it is not necessary to include money. The Polish Consulate will bill you for this service. You will be asked to send a certified check. After the payment is received the document will be mailed to you.

Writing to Government Organizations. When writing to the Directorate of State Archives, do not send money in your first letter. The staff will bill you for their services. You may be asked to make the check payable to the archive's account number. If you wish, you may write first to determine its fees before making a request. However, This will significantly increase the time it takes to get information.

What To Expect

It may take six months or longer for you to receive a reply to your request for information. Airmail improves the response time. The results of writing to parishes or civil registration offices can vary greatly. You may get a great deal of information, or you may get no answer at all. Some clergy and civil registrars are willing and able to provide considerable information, while others are not.

When you receive a reply, send the requested payment and a note of thanks or acknowledgement. If you need to request further information, refer to your earlier letters and their return letters by date. You may want to include photocopies of any previous correspondence. If the archive assigned you a reference number, include that number as well.

Use Polish-English dictionaries to help you understand the reply. Sometimes you can hire accredited genealogists to translate for you. The Family History Library also has published a Genealogical Word List in Polish (34098), which may be helpful.

If you do not receive an answer, write again, sending a copy of your first letter. Do not send more money unless you verify that your first letter did not arrive.

How To Write a Letter in Polish

Your letter should include:

The date (at the top)

The name and address of the addressee

A greeting

A brief introduction

Biographical information about your ancestor

A short, specific genealogical request

Referral request(s)

A comment about payment

Closing remarks

Your signature

Your return address (including your country)

Be brief and to the point. Do not ask for too much at one time.

The English-to-Polish translations found below will help you compose your letter. Read the sentences in English and choose those that best express what you want to say. Be sure to arrange your sentences logically. You may want to use the following English sentences to write your letter and then replace the sentences with their Polish translations. However you proceed, make sure you type or neatly print your letter and, when necessary, add any diacritical marks and special characters (such as ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź, and ż) with a pen.

Do not use this guide as the letter itself! That might insult the recipient and lessen the chance of a reply.

Writing Dates

Write dates in the European style: day-month-year. Write the full name of the month. Write the year in full (1845, not '45). For example, April 7, 1890 should be written as 7 kwietnia 1890.

The following names of the months are shown in their possessive form, which is used in writing dates:

January

stycznia

February

lutego

March

marca

April

kwietnia

May

maja

June

czerwca

July

lipca

August

sierpnia

September

września

October

pażdziernika

November

listopada

December

grudnia

Greetings

Depending on whom your letter is addressed to, you will choose one of the following greetings. This will also affect some of your later sentences. The following sentences were written in the format of the first greeting. When addressing a priest or pastor, use the appropriate word indicated in parentheses.

English

Polish

1. Dear Sir (Civil Gov)

1.Szanowny Panie,

2. Dear priest (Catholic or Orthodox):

2. Drogi Księże

3. Dear Pastor (Protestant):

3. Drogi Pastorze,

Introductions

4. I live in the United States, but my ancestry is from Poland, and I would like to know more about my Polish ancestors.

Biographical Information

Give as much pertinent information as possible. Use only those items below for which you can give accurate information that is relevant to your request. Do not give information about events that occurred after the ancestor left Poland.

14. I would like to know more about the family of this person. I would be grateful if you would provide the names and birth dates of the brothers and sisters and a copy of the marriage record of the parents.

15. I would like to locate any relatives who may be living in your area. my ancestor was (name). He (she) left for the United States in the year (year). He (she) resided in (town) before his (her) departure. If you know of any persons of this name or relatives of the family, I would be grateful if you would give this letter to them so that they can contact me.

16. I have searched the records for your parish covering the time period from (date) to (date). However, I need records for the years (year) to (year). Could you please inform me as to where these records can be found?

18. I need information from the parish registers of the Protestant parish in (town); in German, (town). I will be most grateful if you would inform me where the records of this Protestant parish are presently found.

19. My ancestor was a Greek-Catholic. He (she) resided in (town). I would like to locate the christening and marriage records of the Greek-Catholic parish. Are these records available in your (1) parish office? (2) archive? If you do not have the records, could you provide the address where they may be found?

19. Mój przodek był Greko-Katolikiem (Greko-Katoliczką, if the ancestor is a female). Mieszkał on (Mieszkała ona, if the ancestor is a female) w miejscowości (town). Chicałbym (Chicałabym, if you are a female) znaleźć jego (jej, if the ancestor is a female) świadectwo urodzenia i ślubu. Czy są one dostępne w Pana (Księdza, if addressing a priest; Pastora, if addressing a pastor) (1) biurze? (2) archiwach? Jeśli Pan (Ksiądz, if addressing a priest; Pastor, if addressing a pastor) ich nie ma, czy mógłbym (mógłabym, if you are a female) dowiedzieć się, gdzie one są?

20. For my family research I need information from the Jewish records of births, marriages, and deaths from your community. Do you know where such records are presently located?